Trasom Drains: Yea or Nay?

[Mark-NJ]

After a delightful time in Maine, we trailered the boat back to NJ, allthewhile under the constant threat of thunderstorms. Thankfully, they never happened.

Still, it had me concerned: I didn't install transom drains, and while boating I didn't seem to need them. The boat stayed dry....a little light sponging now & then was all that was needed.

But I can surely see how having them would make for a very dry boat while trailering, taking the boat out of the water, etc. And the threat of rain filling the boat (with no way to get rid of it) had me concerned the whole way home.

On the other hand, I've heard it said a dozen times by other boaters: "The ONLY hull problems I have are at my hull penetrations".

Is it worth it? I have the brass tubes, I just never put them in. But I'm thinking about drilling holes, epoxying the exposed wood, cleaning up the hole with 220, re-epoxying, then scuffing the tubes, and epoxying them in with thickened epoxy, and using the flairing tool before the epoxy cures.

I worry about having an irrepairable void somewhere "in there" that will leak...or worse, will rot the transom.

What do you all think? Install or leave well enough alone? I have to say that the drive home was a nail-biter that I'd rather not repeat, so I'm leaning towards installing them.

[bobinpowayca]

Hi Mark,
I'm not putting a drain in. I plan on keeping a good cover on the boat when not in use. Also there'll be a bilge pump at the low point of the bilge. And if I need to at home I can use my shop vac. My floor is basically sealed and foamed except for the bilge. Bob

[Cabron]

Nay..... The fewer holes in a boat the better is what I beleive.

[Mark-NJ]

two "Nays".... interesting.

To clarify, I have a "mooring cover", so it stay dry when it rains. I don't have a "trailering cover", and don't intend to buy one. But driving in the rain with the boat uncovered concerns me, as water (weight) accumulating in the back of the boat can cause instability in towing.

[joshuab]

I did not put them in my zip, same concerns as others, future problems or potential rot. I didn't even want above the waterline penetrations so i avoided below the waterline penetrations like the plague truth be told my zip is/will be garage stored and exclusively sunny day driven (like a convertible with no top) but will also have bilge pumps just in case.

[BayouBengal]

I'll say yes. Have not had any problems with mine. Very convenient when caught in a rain storm I've also hosed my boat out recently.

[bobinpowayca]

Howdy bayoubengal, yeah the drain would be good for hosing out the boat. By the way, I have never seen rain in my life like I have in Louisiana on the gulf coast! We were on a motorcycle trip right along the coast and stayed in Cameron. I hope you're doing okay this hurricane season. Bob

[BayouBengal]

Bob, If ya'll will be in Baton Rouge, let me know. We'll meet up for dinner, coffee, or a cocktail. Just PM'd my contact info.

[Adrock1]

I concluded that I want zero hull penetrations below the water line. None. In fact the only hull penetrations I will have are the drains for the splash well and the hole for the bow eye. Both are above the water line and were created using the drill fill drill technique.

Bilge pumps will get water out of the boat when I'm on the water. There is no reason they can't do the same when the boat is on the trailer. My plan is to have two bilge pumps. One sized appropriately for the boat that I can switch back and forth from auto manual and a large capacity pump on a manual switch for emergencies.

If trailering in the rain a bilge pump on a float switch aught to do a fine job keeping the water pumped out.

[Bill Edmundson]

Mark

My Tahoe doesn't have drain plugs. I do have 300gph Rule bilge pumps. Two for the shaft log leakage and 2 for rain. It is amazing how much rain gets into a boat.

The Bartender has Garboard drains. Wish It didn't. The pumps don't get everything. I have 3 sets of Rule 500gph pumps

On an outboard I would probable have a transom plug.

Bill

[Mark-NJ]

If I opt to put in the drains, I intend to drill the holes, then seal the exposed wood in the hole with epoxy.

But for the actual installation of the brass tube, would you guys use thickened epoxy or would you use 5200? I'm thinking 5200 might be better.....

[PeterG]

Mark, I have heard and read good things about 3M 5200 as a bedding compound and as a sealant. It stays where you put it, and has an extended cure time (several hours if not a couple days) to allow for assembly. Your method would work great: drill, seal exposed wood in the hole with epoxy or CPES, then install the tube with the 5200. Wipe away excess 5200 and you're good to go. If by some bizarre chance the swaging of the brass tube goes wrong, like a crack or split, the 5200 would not have cured yet and you will be able to pull the tube and try again.

[Roberta]

I like the transom drains. Used them in both the Zip and the Torpedo. Bilge pumps will still leave and inch and a half of water and, depending on where the low spot is, it might be hard to sponge out. I epoxied the wood surface after drilling and used thickened epoxy (System Three Gel Magic) to glue them in. Radius the edges of the drilled holes to match the rolled edge of the brass tubes for a nice fit. Use a Forstner bit for a nice smooth drill hole.

Roberta

[Bill Edmundson]

You don't need to buy a flair tool. Take a 3/8" bolt, put a heavy washer on the outside and a light washer on the inside. Bend the tube a little with a screw driver. Put the bolt assembly in the tube. As you tighten the bolt the light washer will start to dish. The tube end will start to flair.

Buy 4 plugs. They're easy to loose.

Bill

[mrintense]

Another idea, I believe it was Roberta who first mentioned this to me a few years ago, is to connect a small chain through the holes to the plugs. This way if they are loose, they will not get lost and if you happen to forget to put them in before going into the water, you could conceivably pull them into the holes using the chain. If nothing else, they would be reachable from the transom since they would be hanging on the chains.